The Consequences of Torture-Complete
by Jannson05
Summary: A followup of Ina Paha. What happened as Chin, Danny, Kono, and Lou were trying to get Steve out of the building. Edited for improved readability and an extended ending. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Commander Steve McGarrett was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, trapped in a world that swirled with false memories, false hope, and pain. Then, he was happy. He was with his Dad staring out at the ocean and enjoying a cold beer, but somehow it was wrong. He heard a very familiar voice say his name. He grabbed onto it, used it as an anchor, and clung to what he thought must be reality. Someone touched his arm, and the physical contact was enough to break through. He jolted upright, ready to defend himself. Even though he was utterly exhausted, he felt like he still had a reason to keep fighting.

Steve's eyes began to focus on Danny's face. Danny helped him scoot back and lean against a shelf while he continued to orient to the present. Aches pummeled his body. He felt like he had just swam twenty miles and then ran a marathon, and his chest and ribs were on fire. At the moment he was grateful for the drug induced haze. He'd experienced broken ribs before and knew how much they could hurt. Hadn't he been somewhere else though. "Hey, where's my father?" he asked. "Where's my Dad? I wanna see my Dad. I wanna see my Dad."

Danny looked concerned. "Buddy, your dad died four years ago. Okay?"

It took Steve a moment to process what Danny was saying. He had to sort through the false memories and find the real ones. The memories of his dad's death hit him like a ten ton stone. The pain came flooding back and seemed to overwhelm his senses. He knew this though. He tried not to let it affect him again, "Yeah." He tried to hold back, to fight the pain but it overwhelmed him. He couldn't help the momentary sob that escaped. He couldn't stay here any longer. "Let's go. Let's go."

"Let's get out of here," Danny agreed. Both he and Chin helped Steve to his feet.

The process was incredibly painful, but Steve held it in. He wasn't going to break, ever.

As they passed Wo Fat, Steve had to stop and look. "Wait, wait!" he gasped. He had to make sure that it was all really over. That this monster who had caused him and his family so much pain was finally gone. He stared at Wofat's face, and the bullet hole in his forehead. The pain of loss started to get the better of him and he fought back another sob, "Let's go."

"Come on babe," Danny encouraged.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Danny and Chin supported Steve as they guided him out of what Danny could only describe as a torture chamber. Steve had one arm over each man's shoulders. Danny rested his hand on Steve's back to provide both physical and emotional stability. With each step they took, he had to support more of Steve's weight. He couldn't imagine what Steve had been through. Danny took note of the swollen burn marks on his chest and abdomen, his bloody face and the deep gash along the left side of his head that looked like a bullet graze. If it had been an inch to the right, they would be carrying Steve out in a body bag. All that was bad enough, but then Danny noticed that Steve's breaths were becoming shallow gasps.

Lou, who was following behind must have noticed too, "Whoa guys, hold up. Something's wrong."

Danny stopped to look at his partner. "It's okay man, we gotcha." Steve had a death grip on his shoulder. He felt his stomach flip when he heard a soft bubbling sound as Steve tried to take some steadying breaths. They took two more steps, and then Steve's knees buckled. Danny and Chin had the choice of letting go, not an option, or dropping to their knees.

"Steve?" Danny asked. The worry in his voice was apparent.

"I think my ribs…" Steve started to say, but then collapsed onto his hands and knees and started coughing. Flecks of blood sprayed the ground below him. Danny placed his hand on Steve's back, trying to offer what little comfort he could.

"That's it! Lou, get the EMTs in here, now!" Danny said. And Lou dashed pass them, gun raised and watching for trouble. One of Steve's arms buckled. Danny caught him around the middle, but Steve's ribs shifted unnaturally under his hand. He lowered him onto his back. Steve made a choking sound as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He grabbed at Danny's shirt. His eyes were wide with panic and his lips began to turn blue.

"He can't breath," Danny's heart raced, and he nearly froze, but then Chin helped to roll Steve onto his side into recovery position. Steve coughed up more blood, and then was able to take some shallow breaths.

"Hang in there Steve," Chin said. "Help is on the way."

Steve tried to nod, but his muscles tightened and he grabbed hold of Danny's wrist just before his whole body began to seize. The painful grip seemed to last forever, but Steve finally settled and his body began to relax. His eyes were glazed and unfocused. He looked right through Danny.

"No. No. No. Steve?" Danny said. "Steve?" Danny patted the side of his face lightly and then harder when he got no response. Dammit, I don't think he's breathing." He reached over and felt Steve's neck for a pulse. "No pulse! Starting CPR." Danny and Chin rolled Steve onto his back and Danny began chest compressions.

"Where are the EMT's!" Danny yelled, and then blew two breaths into Steve's mouth. It was difficult to force the air into his lungs, and he could taste blood. "Something's wrong!" Danny cried. "I can't get any air in." His best friend was dying before his eyes. He kept trying. Compressions...two breaths... compressions. "Where the hell are they EMT's!" he yelled again.

"They're here!" Kono called after what seemed like forever. Lou led a man and woman carrying emergency gear into the room. They dropped to their knees next to Steve. The man took over compressions as the woman set up the portable defibrillator. She placed a c collar around Steve's neck and placed the two adhesive pads on his chest. After two rounds of shocks, the heart monitor began to blip weakly. She placed an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.

"Okay," she said, "we need to get him to the ambulance."

Danny helped the male EMT roll Steve onto his side while the other one slipped a yellow backboard beneath and then strapped him down. Danny, Chin, Lou, and the male EMT carried the backboard. Kono covered them as they exited the building while the female EMT continued to monitor Steve's vitals. Within minutes Steve was loaded onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. "One of you needs to come with us. I have questions," she said. Danny jumped in without hesitation, and the others went for their cars to meet them at the hospital.

Steve began to sputter and choke again, and blood spattered the inside of the oxygen mask. The female EMT examined his chest and ribs. "I think he's got a hemopneumothorax," she called to her partener. She opened a sealed plastic bag and placed its components on top of Steve's chest for easy access. Steve's heartbeat became erratic, causing an alarm to sound.

"What does that mean?" Danny asked, his voice carried a panicked edge to it.

"It means that his chest cavity is filling with blood," the EMT explained as she worked.  
"It's making it difficult for his lungs to expand, and for his heart to beat. I'm going to insert a chest tube, so that we can relieve the pressure."

Danny could only watch in morbid fascination as the EMT inserted a tube into the side of Steve's chest. She then attached the tube to some sort of device that collected the blood as it drained. Within half a minute, Steve's heart rate came down, and he seemed to breathe more easily.

The EMT looked at the needle marks in Steve's arms, the cuts and gashes on his face and head, and the burn marks on his chest and torso. " What happened to him?"

"He was abducted and tortured, by a sadistic son of a bitch," Danny said, his throat tight.

"It looks like he was drugged," she said, "do you know what they gave him?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"We need to know. Can you send someone back to the warehouse to retrieve samples?"

"Yeah."

Danny pulled out his phone and dialed. "Chin," he said, "we need to know what they were giving Steve."

"I'm on it," Chin replied, "I'll grab what I can and meet you at the hospital."


	2. Chapter 2

The ambulance stopped and the back doors were thrown open. There was a doctor and two nurses waiting at the bottom. The doctor was a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair. He glanced at the EMT and asked, "Jenna, what have we got?"

"Caucasian male, late 30s, hemopneumothorax, possible concussion, administration of unknown chemical agents, lacerations to the face, electrical burns, and gunshot wound to the left upper arm and head. Chest tube inserted enroute," Jenna said.

Before Danny was even out of the ambulance, Steve had been rushed into the emergency room. He turned to the EMT. "Jenna is it?" he asked. "Be straight with me. Is my partner going to pull through?"

Jenna frowned, "I'm so sorry," she said, "I can't answer that, but he's in the doctor's hands now."

"Thank you for helping Steve," Danny replied, and then headed into the hospital. He went up to the check in desk and met with a young red-headed receptions with long curly hair. She looked up from her computer?

"What can I help you with sir? Do you have a medical emergency?"

"Hi, uh, my partner was just brought in here."

"What's his name?"

"Commander Steven J. McGarrett."

"Okay. And your name?"

"Detective Danny Williams, I'm his emergency contact."

"Okay," she said. "Please have a seat, and I'll have someone check on his status."

Danny had only just sat down, and started tapping his foot, when Lou and Kono came through the door. He stood up and waved at them. They came over and joined him in the waiting room chairs.

"They've got a nurse checking on his status," Danny said.

About ten minutes later, Chin walked in and joined the group. "Everything's being gathered and sent to the lab and bumped to the top of the list. Based on the empty containers found at the scene, Steve was given a cocktail of hallucinogenic drugs, as well as some type of truth serum. They'll send a report to the hospital as soon as they have specifics. "Any word yet?" he asked.

"No, not yet. I heard the EMT mention a hemopneumothorax. I think this is really bad you guys." Danny looked toward the doorway where they had taken Steve. He ran his hands through his hair, and cradled his head between his arms. This wasn't happening, Steve had been through enough. Why couldn't everything just be okay. Twenty minutes later, he heard footsteps and looked up as the tall salt and pepper haired doctor walked over to the receptionist. She pointed at Danny and the others, and the doctor headed over. The group stood to meet him. "I'm Dr. Hansen," he said. "I'm sure you're all anxious to know how Commander McGarrett is doing."

"Yes," Danny replied, "please Doc, what can you tell us?"

"Well, we have him stabilized at the moment, but we're monitoring him closely. We're having a difficult time keeping his blood pressure and respiration at normal levels, most likely due the large quantity of drugs we found in his system. We were able to stop the internal bleeding, and he's been placed on a ventilator. His heart rate is still elevated, but steady."

"So he's not breathing on his own then?" Lou asked.

The doctor shook his head. It appears that commander McGarrett is suffering from a condition called flail chest. In simplest terms, at least three consecutive ribs were broken in two places. The compromised area responds differently than the rest of the lungs to inhalation and exhalation. Using a ventilator, we can even out his breathing while his lungs and ribs heal.

Unfortunately, these "loose" ribs can cause damage to internal organs. In Commander McGarrett's case, we think one of them punctured a lung, which caused the pneumothorax. The chest tube put in by the EMT released most the pressure, and we were able to re-inflate his lung, but we may need to surgically repair his ribs to prevent further damage and facilitate healing. He's headed to radiology now so that we can make that assessment.

Based on preliminary reports sent from the crime lab. Commander McGarrett was given large doses of LSD, along with scopolamine and pentothal sodium, all drugs used in behavioral engineering. These drugs have unpredictable effects on the human body. In commander McGarrett's case they seem to have suppressed both heart rate and respiration. That combined with dehydration and physical trauma caused the cardiac arrest. We're flushing his system with IV fluids now to try and clear the chemicals. But it could be several hours before he's stable enough for surgery. In the meantime, we've place him in a medically induced comal, we can't give him anything for pain until the drugs have cleared his system."

When the doctor finished, there was silence for a moment while everyone absorbed the information. "He's going to be okay though, right?" Kono asked.

"If he makes it through the next few hours, and surgery goes well, then I believe he'll pull through. I'm afraid that he's in for a long recovery. We need to watch him closely as the possibility for developing pneumonia is high in his case. Once he has healed up a bit, he'll need extensive respiratory and physiotherapy. I'm afraid that this type of injury can leave a person with reduced lung capacity and permanent disability. Only time will tell."


	3. Chapter 3

Steve was settled into an ICU room, and the next six hours were the longest Danny had ever experienced. Steve continued to improve, and as the doctors had predicted, was ready for surgery the next morning. The rest of the team had gone home to get some rest, but Danny had stayed and promised to call if anything changed. He had been allowed a few short visits. It was disturbing to see Steve hooked up to the ventilator with a breathing tube coming out of his mouth. As he lay there, his chest seemed slightly malformed. With each puff of the ventilator, one side raised a little higher than the other.

Dr. Hansen came in to talk to Danny just before surgery. "Good morning Detective Williams."

"Please Doc, call me Danny."

"Okay, Danny. I've got some good news."

Danny perked up, hoping that the doctor would tell him that this had all just been a horrible nightmare and that Steve was fine. "Let's hear it," was all he said.

"Commander McGarrett is a perfect candidate for a new procedure called rib plating. It will reduce his recovery time from months to weeks."

"Oh Doc," Danny replied, "that is music to my ears. Do you know how hard it would be to get than man to rest for months. Weeks will be challenging but probably doable."

"Well, seeing as Commander McGarrett doesn't have any family left in Hawaii, I suppose we'll have to rely on you to keep him settled."

"Yeah," Danny snorted, "hooray for me. That should be a walk in the park."

Dr. Hansen looked confused for a moment. "We could always place him in a rehabilitation facility should you be unable or unwilling to perform the task."

"No, no. That won't be necessary. Don't take my sarcasm the wrong way. Steve and I have a bit of a love-hate relationship. We love to hate each other, but I'd die for the man, he's my brother."

"I see. Well, Steve has given you power of attorney should he be incapacitated. If you'll sign these papers, we'll get him prepped and into surgery. If all goes well, it shouldn't be more than two or three hours. Why don't you go home and freshen up. The commander is in good hands. We will contact you if anything changes."

"You know what Doc? I think I'd like to stick around."

Danny made several phone calls to update the rest of the team. Three hours later, they were all back at the hospital. Danny was led to Steve's recovery room while everyone else waited for him to wake up in the waiting room. Danny was taken aback by what he saw. Steve was off the ventilator and breathing on his own, and his chest looked normal. The nurse smiled at Danny as he paused in the doorway to take it all in.

"Your partner should be awake soon detective. The doctor will be in to give you an update in a few minutes."

When Dr. Hansen walked into the room, there was a huge smile on his face. Danny shook his hand and smiled back. "I take it things went well?" he asked.

"Very well. The platting worked beautifully. It is my belief that commander McGarrett will make a full recovery."

"That is good news," Danny smiled. "Very good news."

"I've read about the exploits of 5-0 in the papers. Commander Mcgarrett and his team have done a lot to make the streets of this island safer. It's my home that you'll all continue the good work."

About an hour later, Steve began to come to. Danny stood up and walked over to the bedside. "Hey partner, welcome back."

Steve squinted up at Danny, "Hey," he croaked.

"Hey buddy," Danny replied. "How ya doing?"

"I'm okay."

"Ya, uh huh, I'm sure. Let me get the doc."

Danny pressed the call button and the nurse came in. "Commander McGarrett," she said. "Welcome back. How's your pain?"

"Not too bad," Steve said, but the grimace on his face indicated otherwise.

"Alright, well, I'm just going to check your vitals, and then the doctor will be in to see you." She took his blood pressure, looked at the monitors, made some notes in Steve's chart, and then left the room.

"Hey, I'll be right back," Danny told Steve. He caught up to the nurse just outside the room. "Excuse me. You know, my partner in there, he's a tough guy, and he has a pretty high tolerance for pain, but, just don't let him undersell it okay?"

The nurse smiled, "Don't worry detective. Your partner is in good hands."

"Thanks." Danny headed back in to talk to Steve, but he'd drifted off again. Over the next hour or so Steve dozed intermittently, until the anesthetic from his surgery finally wore off. Danny handed him his cup and he took a few sips of water. Steve seemed very distracted and distant, even borderline depressed.

"You okay?" Danny asked?

"Yeah," Steve cleared his throat, "Yeah, I'm okay. I just...I thought my Dad was back Danny. We had a beer on the beach. We were going catch up. Be father and son like we never were after my mother died." A tear made a glistening stream down Steve's cheek.

"I know man. I know. I'm sorry."

Steve nodded his head and wiped his face with his hands. Danny didn't know what else to say, but then Dr. Hansen came in.

"It's good to see you awake Commander McGarrett. How are you feeling?"

"I'm getting there."

"Good," the doctor replied. "First off, try to take full, deep breaths. I know it's painful, but it will help prevent pneumonia. Also, if you need to cough, don't suppress it. We're going to keep you on an anti-inflammatory and some pain medication for a while to help. I'm also going to start you on some respiratory and physical therapy…"

The rest of the team were in to visit with Steve shortly after. Over the next few days, the team went back to work, but they made sure to visit Steve on a daily basis. He did his respiratory and physical therapy, and flirted with the nurses. They were all very impressed with his progress, and his excellent physique.

Danny approached Steve's door just as a very nice looking nurse walked out. She had a glow, and her face was flushed. He went in the door and saw Steve sitting in the chair beside his bed. He was just pulling a t-shirt over his head. Danny ducked his head back out the door to get a second look at the nurse before turning to Steve, "Did you just…"

"What? No, get your mind out of the gutter."

"Huh."

Steve leaned forward to tie his shoes but then stopped, a hiss escaping his lips, "Ahhh, son of a...okay that hurt."

"Ya think? You just had major surgery you neanderthal." Danny bent down to take over. "I got it."

Steve scratched at the stubble on his face, "Man this is humiliating, I can't even tie my own shoes."

"You know, it's okay to let other people help you sometimes."

"I know that," Steve said, feigning defensiveness, "let's get out of here."

"You got it buddy."

Steve levered himself up out of the chair and walked stiffly toward the door.

"Seriously?" Danny asked.

"What?"

"Would you just get in the wheelchair please? The last thing you need is to fall and break something else while leaving the hospital."

"Not going to happen."

"Oh yeah? Why is that super seal."

"Dude," Steve said, a boyish grin on his face, "I have titanium ribs now. I'm like Wolverine."

"No, you schmuck, you have titanium plates holding together your very human ribs."

Steve scowled, "You just have to go and suck the fun out of everything."

End


End file.
